We can all agree that Jesus has called us to step into God’s mission and reach our communities. Our missional call is clear, to make disciples and to be witnesses in our local areas and across the globe. As pastors and ministry leaders, we want to help our church live this call. God has brought the people of your church together, at this time and in this place, to make a difference for the Kingdom. So, what practical steps can we all take to embrace this call and impact our cities with the love and hope of Jesus?
We must commit to both being focused and intentional when it comes to reaching people in our communities. When it comes to proactively developing outreach ministries of their churches, many ministry leaders are asking similar questions. And that is exactly what we need to be doing, moving forward proactively rather than attempting to toss things together re-actively. The more we pray and plan, the greater the impact we will have in our neighborhoods.
Ask The Important Questions
If you desire to develop your outreach ministries, then you will want to invest some time and energy working through the following questions:
- How can we better communicate the biblical basis of outreach to our people?
- What are specific ways we can assess our community to best understand the unique context God has called us to reach?
- How to use essential tools such as social media and personal invitations to help us raise awareness of our church in our community?
- How do we determine which outreach strategies will be most useful in our city?
- Why are both collective and personal outreach vital to our church, and how do we do both effectively?
- How can we develop an annual outreach calendar that is beneficial to our entire ministry and mission?
- What is the difference between invitational and incarnational outreach?
- How do we mobilize our people for outreach?
- Why is it important to collaborate with other community organizations and what steps are key in making these partnerships meaningful?
- How do we create a culture at our church where outreach is natural and consistent?
These key questions can guide you and your leadership team to develop strategies to reach more people over the next year.
Effective Community Outreach Resources
To better assist churches in engaging their communities and sharing the Gospel, I partnered with LifeWay Leadership and NewChurches.com to create an intensive and highly-practical course on Effective Community Outreach. The essential questions above are thoroughly explored, along with many others. I provide real-world examples of effective community outreach and even include downloadable resources you can use when meeting with your team, planning your outreach strategies, and engaging your community.
This course is the most comprehensive project I have worked on for outreach training. The course is presented in 14 modules with over 4.5 hours of video instruction and 40 downloads and handouts, and you can get the first three modules absolutely free! Learn more about this powerful resource by visiting newchurches.com/outreach. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. We are praying for you and your church as you take fresh steps and make new commitments for His glory!
